


Special

by mingle_bingle



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Minor Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Minor Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Minor Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Minor Sexual References, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22243402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mingle_bingle/pseuds/mingle_bingle
Summary: “So Hyung, remind me again how many times you’ve screwed up your proposal.”“I haven’t screwed it up.”“Right. You’ve just failed to attempt it in the first place.”Seonghwa had been trying to propose to Hongjoong for a long time but no moment ever seemed like the right one.
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 7
Kudos: 229





	Special

“So Hyung, remind me again how many times you’ve screwed up your proposal,” Mingi said, earning a slap on the arm from his husband and a glare from Seonghwa.

“I haven’t screwed it up,” Seonghwa sighed, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. He wished he could stop being plagued by reminders that he still hadn’t managed to pop the question to Hongjoong, but it was always in the back of his mind. Not only did his friends ask repeatedly about his plans to propose, but the fact that most of them were already settling into wedded bliss somehow made the task at hand all the more difficult.

“Right. You’ve just failed to attempt it in the first place.” This earns Mingi another smack from Yunho but he just shrugs, shoveling more tteokbokki into his mouth. Seonghwa ignores the apologetic smile being sent his way by the taller man; after all, he couldn’t argue with that.

Seonghwa tried not to let it bother him but he did feel that as the oldest he should have been the first to get married, or at least to propose. Even Jongho, the youngest of the group, had managed to ask Yeosang to marry him. This meant that their group consisted of two married couples; an engaged couple; and Seonghwa and Hongjoong, who were still only dating. 

No matter how many times Seonghwa explained it to him, Yunho still couldn’t understand why he hadn’t followed through with his plans. He’d had the ring for over a year at this point and was still yet to act. Everyone was surprised that he had been able to keep his intentions a secret from Hongjoong for this long, that he hadn’t slipped up and left the ring somewhere it could be found by the shorter man. It wasn’t that he had doubts about his love for his boyfriend or wanting to spend his life with him, god no, it’s just that no moment seemed right. No moment seemed special enough. Seonghwa had tried to plan dates specifically to propose but no amount of careful consideration or attention to detail had been able to create the perfect instant to finally ask.

“I don’t know that that matters Hyung,” Yunho glanced at Mingi who nodded along. This was confusing to the older man, surely there was such a thing as the right moment for something like this. What he was sure was supposed to be a reassurance left him with more questions than anything else, particularly when he realised that he had never heard the details of Mingi’s proposal to Yunho even though they had been married for almost a year and he had been friends with them since well before that.

“Well, it wasn’t planned,” Yunho smiled, grabbing the redhead’s hand from where it rested on the table and intertwining their fingers, Seonghwa had to pretend that seeing the light glinting off the other man’s ring didn’t make his heart twinge. Of course, he was overjoyed for them, they deserve all the happiness in the world, but seeing them together made him even more desperate to have that with Hongjoong. His eyes narrowed at Yunho’s statement, expression twisting in confusion as he gestured for his friend to continue. 

“It just kind of slipped out,” Mingi went on from where his partner left off, “while I was inside him.” The last few words dropped nearly into a whisper, almost being lost in the din of the restaurant, but Seonghwa heard them. His chopsticks clattered to the table, hand coming up to cover his mouth as he choked and tried desperately to erase the mental image of what two of his closest friends got up to in private. After a few moments of silence between the three, the dark-haired man finally dared to glance back up, meeting eyes with the others. The couple were sporting flushed cheeks and sheepish grins but the twinkle in Yunho’s eyes told Seonghwa that, no matter how unconventional, he wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

-

Seonghwa smiled when he felt arms wrap around his waist, he had been too preoccupied with preparing dinner for when his boyfriend returned home that he had not noticed his arrival. Hands busy plating the meal, he couldn’t return the embrace but leaned back into the touch, feeling completely at ease in his gentle hold.

Finally turning to face Hongjoong, he felt his heart swell at the sight of the blonde man drowning in a too-large sweater. Unable to resist the urge, he leaned down to press a soft kiss to his lips. It lasted only a moment but Seonghwa knew that Hongjoong could feel the emotion poured into it. 

Over dinner, Seonghwa listened intently while Hongjoong spoke animatedly about his day. His work as a composer monopolised his time occasionally but the older man could never hold it against him, not when it brought him so much joy. Seeing his eyes crinkle and mouth turn up as he laughed made every second spent with him a blessing.

“Can I play something for you?” Hongjoong asked later with a mouth full of toothpaste, bumping his hip into Seonghwa’s. He nodded, laughing as he wiped the toothpaste that had dribbled down his boyfriend’s chin. Once the two had finished preparing for bed, Hongjoong steered his boyfriend down the hallway and into the study that he used as a home studio. The room was cluttered and loose papers were scattered across the space. It was the one room that Seonghwa allowed to be left in such a state, this only because he did not want to encroach on Hongjoong’s privacy. 

Hongjoong’s lopsided grin did little to hide how nervous he was to hit play, that was unusual. He normally jumped at the chance to play anything he’d written, complete or otherwise. As the piece began, Seonghwa pulled the other man down into his lap, playing idly with his short hair and nosing against his neck. Letting his eyes close, he focused his attention solely on the music. It began slow and soft, the sweet piano melody tugging at his heart and making him pull Hongjoong tighter against his chest. Gradually, the piece increased in both volume and tempo, reaching a point where it sounded almost urgent. Seonghwa could feel Hongjoong’s heart rate increase with the speed of the music. Just when he thought it was over, the crescendo fading out, the quiet plinking that it began with returned. By the time it had ended Seonghwa could feel tears welling in the corners of his eyes. 

“So, did you like it?” Hongjoong breathed, turning hesitantly in Seonghwa’s lap to face him. The older nodded, wanting to make it abundantly clear that he had loved it and that Hongjoong had nothing to fear in choosing to trust him with his music. It was extraordinary, making him feel so many emotions, capturing longing and desperation but also adoration. It wasn’t until Hongjoong leaned in and kissed away a tear from Seonghwa’s cheek that he even realised any of his tears had fallen. “I wrote it for you. It’s how you make me feel.” He was stunned, understanding why he had been apprehensive to share it, he was placing his heart into Seonghwa’s hands and praying he wouldn’t break it.

That night, as he willed himself to fall asleep, Seonghwa decided that he had spent far too long waiting for the perfect moment and that he would propose, and soon. The man cradled against his chest with his hand fisted in his t-shirt had bared his soul to him and Seonghwa had become even more annoyed that he still hadn’t asked as well as the fact that he still had no clue how he was going to do so. Snuggling further into Hongjoong’s warmth, Seonghwa realised that speaking to San and Jongho might prove useful.

-

The opportunity to discuss the matter with his friends came just a day later, Wooyoung having organised for everyone to get together for a movie night. San had managed to extricate himself from Wooyoung, who pouted but cuddled up to Yeosang to continue watching the film, making it easy for Jongho to slip away. The two seemed intrigued when Seonghwa called them away, telling them that he needed their help. Seonghwa was one of the most well put together people they had ever met and someone they always went to for advice, so for him to need their help was unusual.

After describing the difficulty he was having he sat back in one of the dining room chairs, waiting for one of them to speak. The two just stared, exchanging blank looks before San broke into laughter, Jongho following suit.

“Hyung,” San began, smiling so wide that dimples created deep indents in his cheeks, “I understand your point about picking the right moment, but I think you’re overthinking it.” Seonghwa’s mouth twisted into a frown and his brow creased, remembering how Yunho had made similar statements. Though he couldn’t be surprised, he knew San had found it easy to propose.

It had just a few days after they had moved into their house. The pair were watching reruns of old dramas, Wooyoung laid across the couch with his head in San’s lap, the older stroking leisurely through his hair. Then, as easy as breathing, San had leaned down and whispered the question into Wooyoung’s ear. He remembered San’s proposal as though he had been there to witness it. This because Wooyoung had called to tell them all about it the day after it had happened, he still remembered how his tinny laughter echoed through the phone at the sound of his and Hongjoong’s shocked gasps. 

“You could always do what I did Hyung, create the perfect moment,” Jongho spoke up. Of the three friends who had taken the leap and proposed, Jongho was the only one who had planned a date and actually got down on one knee. He and Yeosang had gone and got chicken at one of their favourite places before taking a walk through a park where Yeosang had taken him many times before when he wanted to fly his drones. He recalled hearing that the shy man had all but sobbed once he had realised what was happening.

Considering that all of his friends had been elated at the proposals they had received, regardless of how well planned they were, Seonghwa resolved to cease attempting to make dramatic plans.

-

A week later, Seonghwa stood in the kitchen of his parents’ home in Jinju, helping his mother wash the dishes from dinner. 

“So, when are you finally going to put a ring on that gorgeous boy’s finger?” It was a joke but he could see that part of her truly did wonder whether he had considered marrying Hongjoong.

“Soon,” he shrugged, attempting to appear nonchalant and not laugh when her eyes grew wide in surprise. Seeing his mother’s excitement at the prospect of her son marrying just gave Seonghwa further incentive to do so.

Once the dishes were put away, he bid his parents good night and went upstairs. Finding his boyfriend already in bed, he quickly brushed his teeth and changed, placing a kiss against Hongjoong’s bare shoulder as he shuffled in behind him. Seonghwa dozed off quickly, tired from the events of the day, his head rested between Hongjoong’s shoulder blades.

Hongjoong was still asleep when he woke up the next morning and Seonghwa took the time to appreciate him, leaning over slightly to admire his sleeping face. His soft lips and the slope of his nose, his dark lashes and the way locks of his white-blonde hair fell messily across his forehead. He looked entirely serene and Seonghwa had never felt such love as he did at that moment, lying in his childhood bed as sunlight shone through the crack in the curtains and hit the exposed skin of Hongjoong’s back.

It was then that he realised what his friends had been trying to tell him, he didn’t have to go to great lengths to create a special moment to propose. Mingi asking Yunho without thought in a vulnerable moment, San asking Wooyoung while they simply sat in each other’s company, and Jongho’s proposal planned around Yeosang’s favourite things all contained a similarity. They were all special because they were moments shared between people who loved each other, promising many more such instances.

“Hongjoong,” he whispered softly as his boyfriend raised his arms to rub at his bleary eyes. He received only a groan in reply but when he glanced down he could see the younger man’s eyes on him.

“Joong… I love you and I want to marry you,” he had thought many times about how he was actually going to phrase it and this had never been something he had considered. Still, those were the words that had come out and as Hongjoong’s entire face creased up in a smile, wider than any Seonghwa had ever seen, he had no regrets.

“I love you too, and I thought you’d never ask,” Hongjoong giggled, leaning up to press a kiss against Seonghwa’s mouth which was ruined by his face breaking out into a grin. 

Seonghwa didn’t need to create a special moment, every minute they shared was already special. No, more than that, every second they spent together was perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> I am by no means I good writer but I had fun with this so if even one person enjoyed reading this it will have been more than worth it. :)


End file.
